Chapter 3: TEACHER CASE NOTE
Cheerios Commercial: 30 Seconds that Exceeds
30 Days of Controversy
TEACHING NOTE
Case Overview
Cheerios depicted a biracial family that subtlety reinforced negative stereotypes of the African–
American population. Cheerios displayed ethnocentrism and racial salience, as well as
Company Profile
Cheerios is a breakfast cereal company manufactured by General Mills. Since its introduction in
1941, Cheerios has marketed itself as a family brand and favorite breakfast food. Today, almost
half a million cases of cereal are produced and shipped across the United States every week.
Country Analysis
In 2012, African-Americans represented almost 14% of the US population. The African-
American population grew at a rate of 1.6 times faster than the overall population growth rate.
As such, it is a target market with vast potential for revenue. The Cheerios controversy was not
confined to the African-American community but reached many ethnic groups, especially
individuals in interracial relationships.
The history of slavery and the disproportionately high rates of interracial marriage by African–
American men are two factors to keep in mind when viewing this commercial. The history of
Ethnocentrism and Salience in Cheerio’s Response
Cheerios supported an ethnocentric view in the way they depicted the family’s interaction in
the commercial. Ethnocentrism is the belief that your view is the only view that is valued. It is a
bias interpretation of the situation that denigrates opposing views. Cheerios portrayed the
African-American father taking a nap in the afternoon completely disengaged from his
Minimization in Cheerios’ Response
Cheerios displayed minimization in its response to consumer reaction. Cheerios felt they were
being interculturally sensitive in depicting what they felt was the “new American family.”
However, Cheerios reduced cultural differences too simplistically and focused on “celebrating
all families” in an overarching way that did not acknowledge the differences between African-
American culture and Caucasian culture.
How Cheerios Can Embrace Cultural Intelligence
In the commercial, Cheerios tried to celebrate the “new American family” by bringing together
a Caucasian mother, an African-American father, and a mixed-race daughter. The TV
commercial production team had a good intention to recognize the new trend of the American
family makeup. However, the production team failed to take into account the cultural
First, the production team should be equipped with detailed knowledge of different races in the
American society, African-Americans in particular in this case. Knowledge about the history of
mixed racial marriage and the general public’s point of view of such changes in the American
society.
Third, the last element of cultural intelligence is cross-cultural skills. In the production of the TV
commercial, the team could invite a group of experts on cultural differences and racial
problems. The story itself, the script, and the cast should be modified according to the analysis
of the focus group study. Everything in the TV commercial should be carefully redesigned to
avoid upsetting the general public.
Discussion Questions
1. What was your initial reaction after seeing the commercial and how Cheerios portrayed the
new American family?
2. What were some of the issues with Cheerios’ response to consumer reaction given that
Cheerios disabled the YouTube comment section, but continued to air the commercial?
5. How does the interaction between the actors in the commercial relate to gender and ethnic
stereotypes?